Octavian Cantilli | The Grand Rapids PressGrand Rapids police investigate the scene of a shooting Thursday afternoon on Center Avenue NE near Ann Street. Police said a suspected fled after an officer stopped his moped, then the man pulled a gun on the officer, who shot him. The suspect later died at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital. View photo galleryThis story has been altered since its original publication.

GRAND RAPIDS -- Robert Tatum was playing with his infant granddaughter Thursday when he saw two people dart past the window of his Northeast Side home.

Minutes later, two Grand Rapids Police officers burst through his front door to investigate, and the violent scene that unfolded just feet from Tatum's home came into focus: an officer had just fatally shot a 33-year-old man who authorities say pointed a 9mm handgun at the officer after a short foot chase.

"Making sure my granddaughter wasn't hurt, that was the first thing that went through my mind," said Tatum, 57. "I was scared for her, not myself."

The suspect, who was wanted as a parole absconder, died at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital a short time after the shooting, police said. Neither his name or the officer's were released.

THE LIST

There have been a handful of officer-involved shootings in the last two years in Kent and Ottawa counties:

• March 26, 2009: A Kent County sheriff's deputy shot and injured Christopher Imelmann, 45, after the suspect led police on a high-speed chase, crashed his vehicle, then tried to run down a pursuing deputy. The deputy opened fire, hitting Imelmann in the torso and a passenger in the left hand.

• March 11, 2009: An Ottawa County sheriff's deputy shot and injured Grand Valley State University student Derek Copp, 20, during a drug raid at an off-campus apartment in Georgetown Township. Copp was unarmed, and had been raising his hand to deflect the glare from a gun-mounted flashlight when a deputy fired at him.

• Feb. 22, 2009: An Ottawa County sheriff's deputy shot and killed William Olbert, 53, in Zeeland Township after the suspect attacked his estranged wife with a knife.

A scuffle ensued as the officer attempted to search the man, who wasn't carrying a driver's license, police said. The suspect, who was carrying a gun, then fled in back of a nearby home, 1746 Center Ave. NE, and attempted to jump a wooden fence, police said.

After failing to scale the fence, the suspect, gun in hand, turned toward the officer.
The officer fired several shots at the suspect after he refused to drop his weapon. The officer, a 15-year veteran, was not hurt in the incident. He has been placed on administrative leave.

Grand Rapids Police Chief Kevin Belk said the officer fired the shots because he feared for his life. He said the police department's Internal Affairs division and the Kent County Prosecutor's Office will investigate the shooting to see whether the officer followed proper police procedure.

The 16-year-old was helping her cousin and grandparents move boxes of old clothes into her Center Street home when the shooting occurred. She saw police chase the man into the alley and heard six gunshots seconds later.

"It's terrifying," she said of the shooting. "My heart was beating so fast and my legs were shaking."

The same was true for Ronald Danneffel, who was watching television with his wife and four children in their home when the shooting occurred.

"I've got four kids and this happens right across the street," Danneffel said. "You shouldn't have to live like this."

The 17-year-old woman who was traveling on the suspect's moped wasn't injured and was taken into police custody. She told police she saw the suspect pull a gun from his waistband when he fled from the officer.

"The witness added that she heard several times the officer order the suspect to drop his weapon before seeing the suspect turn toward the officer still holding the weapon," according to a statement issued by police.

For Samantha Farmer, who was celebrating her 22nd birthday, the shooting couldn't have come at a worse time. She'd arrived at her aunt's Center Avenue home Thursday for dinner followed by cake and ice cream.

But instead of celebrating, she stood on her aunt's porch and watched the violence unfold right before her eyes.